SBY and the English Language...

It has been a while since I have felt like writing a post about SBY, but not being one to pass up an opportunity to "bang on" about what a fraud the man has turned out to be as president, I figure that this story is as good as any to get started on. The president's spokesperson for international affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, has had to defend the president's use of English in a speech to an Indonesian audience at the Stock Exchange building recently.

There are a few legal issues to be considered here in light of Law No. 24 of 2009 (which you can read about here). However, in a more practical sense the real issue is why does the president need to use English at all in the context of a speech on the economy to an Indonesian audience? Admittedly, there will be the odd loan or borrowed term from English that is similar or even the same in Indonesian. Yet, on the whole, most English words, even some of the loan and borrowed ones, have Indonesian equivalents.

But back to the gist of the story, according to Faizasyah, the president felt the need to use English as a means of clarifying some difficult economic concepts. Now, with all due respect, he is making a speech at the stock exchange and on the whole the majority of those employed there are going to have a whole lot more knowledge of all things economy-related than the president. So, exactly what was he trying to clarify? The idea that the speech was intended for a broader audience is not borne out by those in attendance.

The majority of the speech was in Indonesian and some English words were thrown in. So, to suggest that the words were used to remind people of the foreign roots of the concepts is a furphy at best. At worst it suggests that Indonesia is behind the game when it comes to all things economy-related and therefore the English has to be used. If I was Indonesian, I would probably be offended with the suggestion that I was not as smart as those economists in the West.

Perhaps the real reason that the president uses English in these speeches is that he feels that he is intellectually inferior to his audience and he is trying to mask that intellectual inferiority by pretending to be knowledgeable in the use of the English language.

Or maybe he is angling for a job on the world stage. After all, it was not all that long ago that the Indonesian Democrat Party was suggesting that the president was a serious contender for the job of United Nations Secretary General. So, maybe the use of English is an attempt to convince people that he really is an international statesman.

In any event, there does not appear to be a legitimate or even an arguable, reason for the president to use English in the speech he gave at the Indonesian Stock Exchange.

I wonder if in hindsight Indonesians are beginning to wonder whether SBY was the right choice for a second term as President of the Republic of Indonesia?

Miss Indonesia -- Qory Sandioriva...

This video on YouTube has not been all that popular with almost 24,000 views, but it was seemingly popular enough to spark The Jakarta Globe's interest. The video has also supposedly been going great guns on Twitter and Facebook. There is considerable debate about the English language skills of Qory Sandioriva (although The Jakarta Globe has it as "Sandiriova", I have opted for the Miss Universe pageant spelling).

The video:



Let's face it, her English leads a lot to be desired. But, the real question is who's fault is that?

I do not know enough about the competition rules. I do recall once watching part of a question and answer session on one of these beauty pageant shows where translators were used for contestants who were not confident in their ability to understand and respond in English. Maybe she should have used an interpreter / translator. However, at least she was confident enough to have a go at it.

Yet, with respect to fault, if English is so important to the winner of the Indonesian rounds of this competition, then it is the responsibility of the pageant organisers to vet the contestants prior to their participation. This vetting process includes a fluent English-speaking Indonesian person (there are lots of them, I can recommend a few) or perhaps even a native speaker. Alternatively, the organisers have to be a little more serious in prepping their local winners for international competition.

It is always so much easier to shoot the messenger after the fact. Bagging Qory Sandioriva at this point is like shooting fish in a barrel; all too easy.

In any event, it might be a good time to be at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with all those intelligent and pretty women there competing in the Miss Universe 2010 competition (beauty pageant).

Anyways, here are some photos to accompany the post.

Real Facts?

The most used letters in the English language are E, T, A, O, I, and N.

The Voice of Free Indonesia

The Voice of Free Indonesia was established in 1946 and included news and commentary in both English and Indonesian. It was broadcast around the world so in that sense the announcers were required to have good English.

So, it is interesting to see some of the survivors of the early years lamenting about the lack of quality English language skills in the presenters and announcers of modern Indonesian radio. This lament took place at a talk show commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the Voice of Free Indonesia.

The Voice of Free Indonesia lasted a mere 4 years through to 1950 and was then incorporated into the Radio Republic Indonesia set up as the Voice of Indonesia. Sadly, only 4 of the original 15 announcers of the Voice of Free Indonesia remain alive.

This is an interesting part of Indonesia's history. Even more so when one considers that one of the primary tasks of the Voice of Free Indonesia was to ensure that the world new what was happening in Indonesia and particularly the Dutch attempts to restore themselves as colonial masters. So, perhaps in their own little way the Voice of Free Indonesia played a critical role in ensuring the continued independence of the new nation.